This handbook has been prepared and presented to you, the students of the

WARNING: VEHICLES SUBJECT TO SEARCH

Any vehicle entering school property is subject to complete search by school authorities and law enforcement personnel assisting them. Such search may be conducted without warrant for any reasonable purpose. Following notice of intent to search, the vehicle will not be permitted to leave the premises without permission.

WORKING PERMITS

The state law requires that every child attend school until he is seventeen years of age unless a General Employment Certificate or a Farm and Domestic Service Permit has been issued. The General Employment Certificate can be issued to a student who is 16 years of age with parental consent and a promise of full-time employment. The Farm and Domestic Permit can be issued to a student who is 15 or 16 years of age only for farm work or formal employment in domestic service. This permit may be issued for a specific and urgent reason as stated by the parent/guardian on the permit. The Vacation Employment Certificate can be issued to a student between the ages of 14 to 18 for employment during hours a minor is not required to attend school, i.e. summer vacation and/or after school.
Students are reminded to observe the following procedure when applying for a work permit:

1) As soon as the student has been promised employment, his parent/guardian is to take his official birth certificate to the Superintendent's office to obtain an Application for Employment Form. The student does not need to accompany the parent/guardian at this time.

2) The Promise of Employment Form must be signed by the parent/guardian, the employer, and the doctor, in that order.

3) The student must return the completed application form to the Superintendent's office in order to obtain the work permit.

TELEPHONE

Students may not be called to the telephone during school hours, but important messages will be taken and delivered to them.

Students may use the three pay phones BEFORE SCHOOL, OR AFTER SCHOOL. During the LUNCH PERIODS, students may use the two phones in the Cafeteria/Gym lobby. If a student must use the pay phone during school hours, he MUST first have the permission of the Principal and sign up in office. The phones in the office are not for the use of students. There is a two-minute limit on all phone calls. Cell phones may not be used during school hours unless permitted by a principal.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE

Act 157 of 2002 amended the school code to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and that a United States flag must be present in each classroom. This legislation allows students to decline reciting the pledge; however, the school district is required to notify parents in writing of their child’s refusal to recite the pledge.

PEST MANAGEMENT POLICY

The Punxsutawney Area School District uses an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach for managing insects, rodents, and weeds.

From time to time it may be necessary to use pesticides registered with the Environmental Protection Agency to manage a pest problem. A pesticide will only be used when necessary, and will not be routinely applied. When a pesticide is necessary, the school will try to use the least toxic product that is effective. Applications will be made only when unauthorized persons do not have access to area(s) being treated. Notices will be posted in these areas 72 hours prior to application and for 2 days following the application.
Parents or guardians of students enrolled in the Punxsutawney Area School District may request prior notifications of specific pesticide applications made at the school in which the child attends. To receive notification, you must be placed on the school’s notification registry. To be placed on the registry you must notify the school district in writing and provide a telephone number as to where you can be reached during school hours. Please include your email address if you would like to be notified electronically.
If a pesticide application must be made to control an emergency pest problem, notice will be provided by telephone to any parent or guardian who has requested such notice in writing. Exemptions to this notification include disinfectants and antimicrobial products: self-containerized baits placed in areas not accessible to students and gel type baits places in cracks, crevices or voids.
Questions concerning the Pest Control policy should be directed to Susan Robertson, Business Administrator at 814-938-5151.

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT

This act commonly referred to as NO Child Left Behind, requires the school district to provide information to parents on the status of each school within the district. The high school will provide the information relevant to the high school through the High School Web-Page or other reasonable means to comply with the requirement. For additional information contact the superintendent’s office at 814-938-5151.

NCLB also requires school districts to provide student directory information to armed services recruiters who are recruiting potential high school graduates. Parents who object to the district providing this information must inform the district in writing. A notice regarding the Privacy rights of Students appears in the PASD calendar annually. For more information contact the high school

office at 814-938-5151.

NOTICE OF DISABILITY RIGHTS

Students who may require special education are protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). All students and other persons with disabilities who are involved with the Punxsutawney Area School District are also protected by two other statutes, regardless of whether they are students receiving special education services. These two statutes are called Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Any person interested in reviewing the federal and state regulations for these statutes may contact Karen Young, Section 504 Coordinator, at [phone] extension 6520. Any person desiring to discuss a problem relating to these laws or to register a complaint or grievance under these laws may contact the same person.

The District is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability. The District does not discriminate on the basis of disability in terms of admissions, access, treatment of individuals, or employment. The definition of disability under Section 504 and the ADA includes persons with "physical or mental impairments that substantially limit a major life activity." The definition of disability also protects those who have a record of such an impairment or are regarded by the District as having such an impairment. The District will identify and evaluate students with disabilities who may need special accommodations in order to receive an appropriate education. The District's evaluations of students under the IDEA will include consideration of whether a student is eligible for special services under Section 504 or the ADA. If there is a problem or disagreement, the District is interested in resolving it informally and locally. Formal grievance and complaint procedures are also available to all those protected by Section 504 and the ADA. Families who are not satisfied that the District is complying with these statutes with respect to individual student issues have a right to an impartial hearing.

SPECIAL EDUCATION
SCREENING AND EVALUATION

Punxsutawney Area School District uses the following procedures for allocating; identifying and evaluating specified needs of school-aged students requiring special programs or services. These procedures, as required by law, are as follows:

As identified in §14.121.Child find of Chapter 14 Special Education Services and Programs State Regulations, each school district is required to adopt and use a public outreach awareness system to locate and identify children thought to be eligible for special education within the school district’s jurisdiction. It also requires awareness activities to inform the public of its early intervention and special education services and programs and the manner in which to request services and programs. Written information is published in the Punxsutawney Area School District handbook and is also available on our website.
Punxsutawney Area School District routinely conducts screenings of our student’s hearing in Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 7, 11; visual screenings in Grades K-12; and speech and language screenings in Grades K-12. Our classroom teachers routinely assess gross motor and fine motor skills. Results of these screenings are noted within the student’s school record. School records are always open and available to parents and only to school officials who have legitimate need-to-know information about the student.
Information from these records is only released to other persons or agencies with appropriate authorization including signed permission by parents/guardians. Parents with concerns regarding their child may contact the building principals to request a screening or evaluation. Requests must be submitted through a written request and forms are available through the school building offices.
After the necessary evaluations are completed, an Evaluation Report or Gifted Written Report will be completed. This will be done with parent involvement and includes specific recommendations for the types of interventions needed to meet a child’s specific needs. Parents are invited to participate in a meeting where the results of the evaluation will be reviewed. An Individualized Education Program or Gifted Individualized Education Program will be created to address the specialized services that are needed for those students that are deemed eligible and in need for special education services through the evaluation process.
Punxsutawney Area School District provides annual public notification through various forms such as newspapers and the school district website to notify parents throughout the school district of child identification activities and the procedures followed to ensure confidentiality of information pertaining to students with disabilities or eligible young children.
For more information regarding these procedures, contact: Mrs. Karen Young, Director of Special Education (814-938-5151, Ext. 6520)
CHILD WITH AN EXCEPTIONALITY

A child with a disability means a child evaluated in accordance with IDEA §§ 3000.304 through 300.311 as being intellectually disabled, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as “emotional disturbance”), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf, blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.

For children from 3 years to Kindergarten entrance, the Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) operates the preschool early intervention program. OCDEL provides early intervention services through MAWAs (Mutually Agreed Upon Written Arrangements) typically with Intermediate Units or school districts. Legislative and regulatory guidance is provided through IDEA Part B, Pennsylvania’s Act 212, the Early Intervention Services System Act of 1990, Chapter 14, Chapter 16, and the Basic Education Circulars related to early intervention. Regional services and programs are available through Riverview Intermediate Unit #6 including support services such as speech therapy, physical therapy, parent education/supports and other family-centered services assist in child development and may be included in a family’s early intervention program.

DEFININTIONS OF DISABILITY TERMS
Autism: a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
Deaf-blindness: concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.
Deafness: a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

Emotional disturbance: a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance: an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers; inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; and/or a tendency to develop physical systems or fears associated with personal or school problems. Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance as previously explained.
Hearing impairment: an impairment in hearing whether permanent or fluctuating that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness.
Intellectually Disabled: significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
Multiple disabilities: concomitant impairments (such as intellectual disability-blindness or intellectual disability-orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple disabilities do not include deaf-blindness.
Orthopedic impairment: a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures).
Other health impairments: having limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment that is due to chronic or acute health problems such as: asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia and Tourette syndrome and adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
Specific learning disability: a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as: perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Disorders not included include: learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of intellectual disability, of emotional disturbance or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
Speech or language impairment: a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
Traumatic brain injury: an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability of psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Traumatic brain injury applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as: cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem-solving, sensory, perceptual and motor abilities, psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing, and speech. Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.
Visual impairments include blindness: an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.
Gifted: This term includes a person who has an IQ of 130 or higher when multiple criteria as set forth in Chapter 16. Determination of gifted ability will not be based on IQ score alone. Deficits in memory or processing speed, as indicated by testing, cannot be the sole basis upon which a student is determined to be ineligible for gifted special education. A person with an IQ score lower than 130 may be admitted to gifted programs when other educational criteria in the profile of the person strongly indicate gifted ability. Multiple criteria indicating gifted ability include: a year or more above grade achievement level for the normal age group in one or more subjects as measured by Nationally normed and validated achievement tests able to accurately reflect gifted performance; an observed or measured rate of acquisition/retention of new academic content or skills that reflect gifted ability; demonstrated achievement, performance or expertise in one or more academic areas as evidenced by excellence of products, portfolio or research, as well as criterion-referenced team judgment; early and measured use of high level thinking skills, academic creativity, leadership skills, intense academic interest areas, communication skills, foreign language aptitude, or technology expertise; documented, observed, validated or assessed evidence that intervening factors such as English as a second language, disabilities defined in 34 CFR 300.8 (relating to child with a disability), gender or race bias, or socio/cultural deprivation are masking gifted abilities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION LINKS
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) - a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Gaskin v. Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) – a lawsuit resulting in mandated changes in some special educational services. As part of the court settlement, PDE is requiring all school districts to share the Notice of Proposed Settlement (Notice) to the parents of students receiving special education services. Parents may access the Notice on the following websites: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/special_edu/cwp/view.asp?a=177&Q=109539
http://www.pilcop.org
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) - IDEIA 2004 maintains the basic principles of the law - a free appropriate public education for all students with disabilities, in the least restrictive environment - however, there are many changes and modifications to the IEP process and other aspects of the identification and evaluation of students with disabilities. http://www.pde.state.pa.us/special_edu/cwp/view.asp?a=177&q=111436
Information from the records is released only upon written permission of parents. Parents with concerns regarding their student may contact building principals at any time to request a screening or evaluation of their child. Communication with parents and exceptional students shall be in English or the native language of the parents.
Screening information will be used by an Instructional Support Team within the student’s school to meet his or her specific needs or to document the need for further evaluation. At schools where Instructional Support is not available, the psychologist and teachers will determine if further intervention is needed. If it is determined that a child needs additional services, the Instructional Support Team will make adjustments relative to such things as the child’s learning, behavior, physical, and speech strengths and weaknesses in keeping with traditional classroom experiences. If a student does not make progress, parents will be asked to give written permission for a multidisciplinary team evaluation.
After the evaluation is completed, a Comprehensive Evaluation Report will be compiled with parent input and include specific recommendations for the types of intervention necessary to accommodate the child’s specific needs. Parents are then invited to participate in a meeting where the results of the multidisciplinary evaluation are discussed. An Individualized Education Program (I.E.P.) will be developed for specialized services for the student.
The IEP Team with the parent(s) will consist of at least two of the following district staff: the building principal, the special education teacher, the regular education teacher(s), other teachers or specialists as needed and other administrative staff.
Parents are an integral part of the I.E.P. team and are encouraged to be physically present at the I.E.P. meeting. The district will make every effort to insure parent participation. The district will notify the parent in writing, make documented phone calls, and make home visits, if necessary, to make parents aware of the I.E.P. conference and the need for parental participation. Following the preparation of the I.E.P., parents are then presented a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) with which they may agree or disagree. If the parents agree, the program is implemented. If parents disagree with the program being recommended, the issue may be taken to a pre-hearing conference, mediation or a due process hearing.
NOTE: Parent means that person who is the natural or adoptive parent, guardian, or person with whom the child lives, such as a grandparent.
A parent may request that the district initiate a screening or evaluation of a child’s educational needs at any time by contacting the building principal or Director of Special Education. Information about Early Intervention, parent rights, mediation or Due Process Procedures, specific Special Educational Services and programs offered by the district, and from the district’s Educational Records Policy is available upon request from:

Karen A. Young, Director of Special Education

Punxsutawney Area School District

500 North Findley St.

Punxsutawney, PA 15767

814-938-5151, Ext. 6520
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION

The Punxsutawney Area School District is an equal opportunity education institution and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or disability in its admission procedures, educational programs, activities, or employment practices as required by Title VI, Title IX and Section 504. For information regarding civil rights or grievance procedures, contact Gerald G. Gigliotti (Title IX Coordinator) or Karen A. Young (Section 504 Coordinator) at Punxsutawney Area High School, 500 North Findley Street, Punxsutawney, PA 15767. Telephone: [phone].

CONSTITUTION OF THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Revised 2004

Preamble

We, the students of the Punxsutawney Area High School, in order to provide for student participation in school government, establish better understanding between faculty and students, insure a sincere respect for law and order, enlist the interest of all students in extracurricular activities, combine the various classes and school organizations into a united support of the bigger interests of the school as a whole, and to provide opportunity for the discussion of school activities and for determining the collective will of the student body, do ordain and establish this constitution for the Student Government of Punxsutawney Area High School.

Article I

All members of the Punxsutawney Area High School shall be known as the student body. All executive and legislative powers belonging to the student body shall be vested in the Punxsutawney Area High School Student Government.
Article II

Class representatives and officers shall be elected as a class. There will be 21-24 class representatives, 4 officers, and 6-9 senators. The officers will consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. A homeroom representative shall also be elected by each homeroom.

To run for a representative or officer, a student must obtain a petition, have it signed by 50 classmates, and then by their guidance counselor to verify their previous years grade point average of 85 percent

Article III

Elections for officers and class representatives will be held in homerooms the preceding spring. However, eighth grade representatives will be elected during the fall since they are still at the middle school during the spring elections. All officers must have had experience in Student Government the preceding year. The President must be a senior. The other officers may be a junior or senior, but it is recommended that they are seniors.

If more than one candidate runs for Student Government President, speeches will be given over the public address system. These speeches must be approved by the advisor(s).

If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, that vacancy will be filled by the Vice-President for the remainder of the term. In the event of a temporary absence of the President, the Vice-President shall be in charge of the meeting(s).

All other vacancies of Student Government officers, senators and/or representatives caused by resignation, withdrawal, or dismissal shall be filled in a manner decided by the Student Government.

In the event of a tie in any election for officers, the candidates will give a speech over the public address system, and there will be a new election for that position.

Article IV

Senators will be chosen by the advisor(s). Each year, senators and representatives must submit a new petition.

Article V

A quorum shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the regular Student Government membership. All proposed action affecting the general welfare of the schools shall require a majority of the government membership for passage. Again, majority requires a 2/3 vote. At the close of the meeting, the secretary will submit the minutes of that meeting to the principal and advisor(s).

Article Vl

It is the right of every member of the student body to make suggestions to their homeroom representative for the improvement of the school. It is the duty of every member of the student body to respect the authority of all officers and members of Student Government.

It is the duty of every member to cooperate in enforcing regulations for the care and preservation of school property, to maintain quiet decorum through obedience, and to recognize his/her obligation in upholding the reputation and honor of the Punxsutawney Area High School.

Article Vll

Automatic Dismissal Will Occur From Student Government If:

1. 
   One fails to maintain an overall 85% grade point average for each marking period.
   
2. 
   Suspended and/or not conforming to school policies.
   
3. 
   One fails to perform his/her duties such as attendance at meetings, work days, events and participation in committees. If sick the day of a meeting, one must check in with the advisor(s) or the officer(s).
   

If complaints from committee chairperson(s), advisor(s), or students warrant a hearing determined by advisor(s), a hearing will be held and the officer(s) and senator(s) will serve as judge(s).

Article VIII

All rights and privileges herein delegated to the student body through the power of Student Government are delegated by the principal and may be withdrawn or increased at his or her discretion.

Student Government is not considered to be a club. Student Government will hold its meetings at a time and place designated by its advisor(s).

ALMA MATER
To you our dear old high school, we raise our eyes,

You've caused us many worries and many sighs,

To you loyalty still is the song we raise

And we'll always recall our high school days,

Study is our motto, and we never shirk;

And when the time comes around,

We know how to work.

Dream, dream, dream and forget

Cast out useless regret,

Love, love our dear old high school;

To you we sing.

School Colors

RED AND WHITE
School Nickname

"CHUCKS"